The study of microorganisms associated with tropical plant species, particularly fungi, has garnered significant interest due to their potential applications in biological control and the synthesis of pharmacologically active compounds. This research aimed to identify and characterize the endophytic fungal communities associated with cocoa (Theobroma cacao L.) fruits across three municipalities in the Orellana province, located within the Ecuadorian Amazon. Fungi were isolated directly from cocoa fruits and analyzed through comprehensive cultural, morphological, and molecular analyses. The diversity of fungal taxa was evaluated using metrics of relative abundance and species richness. A total of 464 fungal isolates were obtained, representing 56 distinct morphotypes and 14 genera within the phylum Ascomycota. The most abundant genera included Penicillium sp. (27.8%), Epicoccum sp. (20.5%), Lasiodiplodia sp. (10.1%), Trichoderma sp. (9.91%), and Fusarium sp. (9.70%). Notably, in the municipality of La Joya de los Sachas, a higher number of endophytic fungi was observed, encompassing 14 genera. This study provides critical insights into the diversity and distribution of fungal communities associated with cocoa fruits in the northern Ecuadorian Amazon. These findings have important implications for the management of cocoa diseases and the discovery of novel bioactive compounds. Future investigations should explore the functional roles of these fungi, particularly their potential as biocontrol agents or sources of novel pharmaceuticals. Furthermore, examining the effects of environmental variables and agricultural practices on cocoa fruit mycobiota may contribute to a deeper understanding of the ecological dynamics within this system.

Phytoremediation is based on the use of plants to decontaminate water and soil. In this work, the capacity of high Andean vegetation in the absorption and translocation of heavy metals was analyzed. Species were identified to analyze the presence of metals in roots, stems, and leaves by spectrometry. The translocation factor was determined and analyzed by means of pattern clusters. Based on the floristic inventory, the dominance of the Poaceae and Asteraceae families was determined, and 12 plant species with a high importance value were selected. According to the ICP-AES, mercury (951.07 mg/kg) was determined in the roots of Lachemilla orbiculata, and chromium (21.88 mg/kg) in Carex bonplandii. Arsenic (2.79 mg/kg) was detected as being significantly higher than the values recorded in lowland plants. Cadmium mobility was high in all species, reaching higher values in Baccharis salicifolia (86.28%) and Calamagrostis intermedia (37.16%). Rumex acetocella accumulated lead in leaves (9.27%), while Taraxacum officinale (1.20%) and Calamagrostis intermedia (1.20%) accumulated silicon. Stabilization of chromium, mercury, and sodium was determined in the roots without translocation to higher organs. Finally, cluster analysis showed physiological interactions between metals as a toxicity mitigation mechanism affecting mobility. These findings suggest that they are hyperaccumulator species.

El artículo investiga la insolvencia en las empresas manufactureras, destacando la falta de claridad sobre los indicadores financieros que predicen este riesgo. El objetivo es identificar y analizar los indicadores financieros clave que pueden predecir la insolvencia en estas empresas, comparando datos financieros de varias entidades del sector. La metodología combina búsquedas exhaustivas en bases de datos como Scopus y el uso del software Bibliometrix en R para el análisis bibliométrico, limitando el rango temporal de los estudios a 2020-2024 y centrándose en artículos relevantes y actuales. Los resultados revelaron que la relación deuda-patrimonio neto (DT), la relación deuda-valor de la empresa (D/E) y la relación deuda-flujo de caja (D/FC) son indicadores clave para predecir la insolvencia. Valores altos en estos indicadores sugieren un mayor riesgo de insolvencia debido a la alta dependencia de la deuda y dificultades para generar flujo de caja suficiente. En conclusión, estos indicadores financieros son esenciales para evaluar y gestionar el riesgo de insolvencia en las empresas manufactureras. Monitorearlos y gestionarlos puede ayudar a tomar medidas preventivas, mejorando la eficiencia operativa y la sostenibilidad financiera a largo plazo mediante estrategias como la reestructuración de deuda y la diversificación de ingresos.

La investigación tuvo como objetivos evaluar los efectos de una quema controlada sobre la respiración basal del suelo en la parroquia San Juan provincia de Chimborazo cantón Riobamba. Para este trabajo se estableció una parcela con un área de 100,035 m2, donde se instalaron 3 transectos transversalmente que atravesaron toda el área de terreno, los cuales se dividieron en 6 cuadrantes de 0,50 m por 0,50 m y se dividieron 3 cuadrantes para la zona quemada y 3 cuadrantes para la zona no quemada. Para respiración basal del suelo utilizó el método basal, donde se tomaron 12 muestras, 6 en una zona quemada y 6 en la zona no quemada a dos profundidades de 0-5 cm y de 5-10 cm. Para el análisis estadístico se utilizó la prueba de Friedman para la respiración basal. El estudio determinó que en la zona quemada fue la que se encontró un valor más alto de respiración basal con 0,94 mgCO2g-1h-1 a una profundidad de 0-5 cm, mientras que el menor valor fue de 0,44 mgCO2g-1h-1 para la zona no quemada y a una profundidad de 5-10 cm.

Global warming as a result of the increase in greenhouse gases symbolizes a great threat to life on the planet, with the passage of time it has been reflected in the increase in temperatures causing major disasters and altering physical, biological and human systems, so it is sought mitigate its effects and preserve biodiversity. Therefore, the present research proposed to estimate the content of carbon sequestered in the natural grasslands of the Ichubamba Yasepan protected area, with the purpose of establishing the amount of carbon present in necro mass, biomass and soil stored in the high Andean natural grasslands to have real data for future negotiations of environmental compensations and thus contribute to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions associated with deforestation and environmental degradation. In the grassland and shrub ecosystems 4 plots were established and sampling units of square shape with dimension of 10 x10 m were installed, two circular plots with a radius of 5 and 2.5 m were installed, 8 quadrants of 50 x 50 cm were formed according to the GLORIA methodology, where they were collected 18 necromass samples, 18 aerial biomass samples and 16 soil samples. These were processed in the laboratory of the Faculty of Natural Resources (FRN) of the Polytechnic School of Chimborazo (ESPOCh). For the statistical analysis, a database was built that was processed using the InfoStat statistical package, where values between 6.14 and 7.22 Ton C * ha-1 of biomass, 1.74 and 11.55 Ton C * ha-1 in necro mass and according to the depth of the soil of 30 to 60 cm the amount of 93.98 Ton C * ha-1 was determined , obtaining as total results 170.8 Ton C * ha-1 in the shrub vegetation corresponding to 220,690.68 tons of total carbon in an area of 1292.1 hectares, while the grass vegetation registered 178.7 Ton C * ha-1 corresponding to 625,097.96 tons of total carbon distributed in 3498.03 hectares, which affirms that these ecosystems are huge carbon containers since vegetation cover absorbs CO2 from the environment, stores part of the carbon and returns oxygen to the atmosphere, all this through the process of photosynthesis, which prevents the destruction of the ozone layer and strengthens the mitigation of climate change worldwide.